Hunted
by ChristyK
Summary: The brothers are hunted by drug dealers after they stumble upon their crop of marijuana after a hunt.....But that's not their only problem....
1. Chapter 1

Another one of my stupid little fics. I hope you like it.

**Hunted**

Dean and Sam both stumbled through the deep woods exhausted and badly bruised. They had managed to kill the Wendigo but not before being injured themselves. Now, with the hunt done, they headed toward their car which was parked miles away. Sam looked over at his brother.

"You okay?" He asked. He knew his brother had been injured by a Wendigo before a few years back. That time his brother had been tied up by his arms, waiting to become the creature's next meal. Fortunately this time they had killed the thing before they both almost became lunch. But in the process they both had sustained minor injuries, painful, but they should heal.

"I'm fine Sam." Dean was getting tired of his brother constantly questioning him on how he felt. He knew Sam was concerned about him, he had taken a lot of hard hits, but he had been hurt worse before and knew once he got to the car and back to the motel he'd be fine. He looked over at his brother and could see the bruises on Sam's face and could tell by the way he kept his arm protectively across his stomach that he too was in pain.

"How 'bout you? You went a couple of rounds with the son of a bitch yourself."

"I'll be fine once we get out of here." Right now all Sam wanted to do was soak in a nice hot tub for a year.

"Maybe we should stop for the night and get a little rest, the car's still miles away and there's no hurry."

As much as Sam wanted to get back to the motel his body was screaming for rest.

"Yeah maybe we should before it gets too dark to see."

"Looks like there's a clearing up ahead, we can set up camp there."

They headed toward the small clearing in the woods and wearily dropped their backpacks. Sam let out a soft groan as he sat down on a nearby log, grateful to be off his feet after walking for hours.

"You sound like an old man Sam." Dean said grinning.

"I feel like one too."

"Well you just sit there and rest grandpa; I'll get us some food." Dean looked around the area. "I think I remember seeing a creek around here somewhere when we passed through here the other day, maybe I can get us some trout for dinner."

"I'll help…" Sam started to stand up but when the pain in his stomach increased he quickly sat back down. "…or maybe not." He added.

"Just take it easy and get a little rest. I won't be long."

Dean reached into his backpack and took out a small collapsible fishing rod and snapped it together. Then he took out a small fishing kit and picked out a lure, he then headed in the direction he thought the creek was in.

While Dean was gone Sam slowly and painfully unrolled their two sleeping bags and found a nice soft grassy area to lay them down in. He wasn't looking forward to sleeping on the ground tonight but at least they wouldn't have stones digging into their backs.

Dean found the creek and tossed his line into the water, now it was just wait and see. He sat down on a rock next to the creek and when he didn't get a bite after a few minutes he tossed his line into another area then stood up and stretched. Maybe they were going to go hungry tonight he thought when after about half an hour he still hadn't had a bite. He decided to try another area and packed up his pole and headed up stream. He followed the creek till he came to a small field and was just about to toss his line in the water when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. It was a sure sign that he was being watched. His hand automatically reached for his gun which he kept in his back waistband and he slowly removed it. He then carefully scanned the area. High up in a tree he noticed a video camera its red light flashing indicating that it was turned on. Was he on someone's property he wondered? And then he saw it. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. The field was covered in marijuana plants. He had inadvertently walked right into someone's private stash. He backed up into the woods keeping a careful lookout for any signs of anyone in the area. Tired or not he and Sam had to get out of there, and soon. He knew this could be a million dollar operation and no one was going to take kindly to the fact that it was found. Once he was in the woods he took off running toward his brother.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the review, hope you like the story.

**Hunted**

Chapter two

Dean reached their campsite just as Sam was taking off his short sleeved shirt to put on a long sleeve one. The nights were cold in the woods and the sun was soon going to go down. It was then that he saw the deep purple bruise covering most of Sam's midsection.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me you were hurt that bad?" Dean said as he walked over to Sam.

"We're in the middle of nowhere Dean. What could you have done? I figured why worry you."

"Well we got ourselves a little more worries then that right now."

"Why? What's up?"

"I think I walked right into a major drug operation."

"What?" Sam wasn't sure if he had heard his brother right.

"There's a field a little ways from here loaded with marijuana plants."

"Oh great…." Sam knew men had been killed before for seeing something they shouldn't have.

"But that's not the worse of it Sammy."

"Why am I not surprised?...There's always something worse."

"They have cameras all over the place….and they were turned on."

"They saw you?"

"If someone was monitoring the cameras…….yeah they saw me. So I suggest we put resting on hold and get the hell out of here."

"It's still a couple hours walk back to the car. And it isn't going to be fun in the dark."

"There's another thing…" Dean said as he helped Sam roll up the sleeping bags and backpacks. He deliberately put more into his pack then Sam's, he knew his brother was hurt more then he was letting on and it was the only way he could help ease the pain a little. He then helped Sam put on his pack and tried to ignore the painful look that his brother tried to hide. He knew, like Sam said, there was nothing he could do for him out in the middle of nowhere.

"Why is there always another thing?" Sam said after he adjusted his pack.

"On the way back here I noticed booby traps. I figure they're all over the place. It's funny I didn't trip over one when I went to the creek."

"Oh that's great, if the drug lords don't kill us the booby traps might."

"Just be careful and watch your step." Dean looked over at Sam and gave him a little smile trying to lighten the moment. "And if you step on one make sure you don't take me with you."

"If I trip one I'll make sure you're right beside me." Sam smiled back at Dean but his brother could see the worry in his eyes. He knew they were in a bad situation which probably was only going to get worse.

"Okay…let's go."

Dean immediately took the lead which is what he usually did when they were walking into dangerous territory. Sam had learned long ago not to question him, Dean was his big brother and always thought he had to protect him and probably always would think that way and there was nothing he could do to stop him.

**Later**

As they walked they both pointed out to each other the cameras that were hidden high in the trees. Why hadn't they noticed them when they first had entered the woods in search of the Wendigo they wondered? They also knew they were probably only spotting some of the cameras and not all of them, they could be hidden anywhere. They could only hope that since no one approached them when they first entered the woods days before that maybe no one would now. Or maybe the cameras hadn't been turned on then, they had no way of knowing.

As it got darker the going became extremely slow since they had to travel by moonlight and couldn't use their flashlights. But hopefully since they couldn't see more then a few feet in front of them if anyone was watching them they wouldn't be able to see them that well either.

They had just started to relax a little when Dean smacked Sam on his arm and nodded to a camera which turned and followed them as they walked past, a sure sign that they were definitely being watched.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews.

**Hunted **

Chapter three

"Damn!" Dean swore softly as they continued walking. They only had a few weapons with them, nothing at all like the arsenal they had in their car. He knew with a drug operation this big they were surely outnumbered and also out armed. "Just keep walking Sam and watch your step." Dean said as he pointed toward a trip wire just barely visible in the dark. If the moonlight hadn't hit it just right and caused the light to reflect off of it he never would have seen it.

They both knew they were in big trouble as they tried to make their way out of the woods. The things they usually dealt with were predictable but humans, humans weren't, humans sometimes were much more dangerous then their usual prey.

"Why are they just watching us? Why don't they do something?" Sam whispered to Dean as he glanced nervously up at a one of the cameras.

"I don't know. All I know is that we got to keep moving."

But just as they stepped into a small clearing bright lights suddenly illuminated the area.

"Stay where you are!" A voice boomed out of the darkness.

They both instinctively started reaching for their guns.

"Don't move!" Automatic gunfire rang out and the ground in front of them exploded with the impact of the bullets.

The brothers quickly moved so that they had their backs to each other as they waited for whatever was to come.

Four men slowly emerged from the darkness, each carrying automatic weapons, two on Dean's side and two on Sam's. For a second they thought of trying to fight the men but they knew with the men's fire power it would be suicide to try.

"Take your guns out and drop them in front of you." Carlos one of the men ordered.

When they hesitated he pointed his rifle at them.

"Do it!"

They knew they didn't have a choice. They slowly removed their guns and dropped them at their feet. Santos, another one of the men walked toward them and picked up the guns. The two men on Sam's side walked over and roughly spun him around so that both brothers now faced Carlos who appeared to be the leader. The men then walked over and stood with their friends.

"Look…." Sam said as he put his hands up to show them he meant them no harm. "We don't know what's going on here and we don't care. Just let us leave and you can carry on with whatever you're doing."

"And just what are we doing?" Carlos walked up to Dean.

"Whatever it is it's none of our business."

"And why the weapons? Were you two trying to move in on our territory?"

"No…like he said we don't care what you're doing."

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" Carlos said as he backhanded Dean hard across his face. Dean's face spun to the side but he quickly recovered and looked back at the man.

"You son of a …." Sam started to move toward Carlos and was rewarded with a rifle butt to the stomach. He gasped in pain and went down to one knee.

Dean instinctively stepped forward to help his brother but when a gun was pointed at him he backed off. Getting himself killed wasn't going to help Sam.

"You okay?" He asked Sam.

"Yeah." Sam said as he slowly got up.

"What are you two doing out here?" Carlos asked.

"Camping." Dean said.

"And why the weapons?"

"Because you never know what kind of scum you might run into."

Carlos once more backhanded Dean. This time a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. Sam glanced over at Dean.

"Shut up." He said quietly. He knew his brother's smart remarks often got them into trouble and he knew these men weren't men to mess around with.

"Just answering the man's question Sam… or maybe he's just too stupid to understand me."

Carlos once more backhanded Dean who shook it off and stood looking at the man with a smirk on his face.

"So you think you're funny huh?"

"I'm a born comedian; you should catch my act sometime."

This time instead of hitting Dean he took the butt of his gun and slammed it once more into Sam's stomach, Sam grimaced in pain and dropped to both knees.

Dean clenched his fist as he glared at Carlos.

"What's the matter, no smart remark now?" Carlos said with a smile. "Or don't you like seeing your friend hurt?"

"Why don't we see what a big man you are without that gun." Dean said as he glared into Carlos's eyes.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

I appreciate the reviews, thanks. I'm going on vacation over Thanksgiving break and will post the next chapter when I return next Wednesday. Hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving has a good holiday.

**Hunted**

Chapter four

"It seems you boys need to learn a little respect for a man with a gun." Carlos said staring at Dean. "So you boys were camping, or so you said…Well how do you feel about hunting? It's a nice sport, goes back to the beginning of time. The hunter and the hunted trying to outthink each other…and one always wins." Carlos walked over to Sam and put his hand up to his face then turned his head to the side as he examined him. "You'd make a nice trophy boy." He glanced over at Dean and smiled when he saw the rage that was boiling up in him as he touched Sam. He could tell they both cared more about the other rather then themselves. "My boys and I haven't had a good hunt in months. Oh sure we've hunted animals…but we haven't hunted a human in quite awhile….it keeps us on our toes." He then walked over to Dean. "Hmmm now let's see….Do we hunt one of you or both? It's more challenging to hunt two but….it's also more dangerous. Do I want to take a chance of one of you making it out of the woods alive, or do I want to kill one of you now and hunt the other." Carlos put his gun under Dean's chin and slowly pulled back the hammer. "Maybe I should kill you and hunt your friend."

"No!" Sam shouted as he took a step forward. He didn't know whether Carlos was serious or not but he knew the gun could go off at any moment. "No…please…don't…." He begged Carlos.

"Oh so maybe you would rather die then watch your friend die." Carlos said to Sam as he turned and now pointed the gun at Sam.

Dean could feel his whole body grow tense as he watched Sam shut his eyes as Carlos pressed the gun at his temple. Dean glared at Carlos.

"Like I said before you're a big man as long as you have a gun. Why don't you and me go one on one and see who really is the bigger man?" Dean challenged Carlos trying to take his attention off of his brother. It worked, Carlos turned the gun back on Dean.

"I think I'm going to set you both free…then hunt you down and finish you off slowly. I think my boys would like a little fun." Carlos looked back at his partners. "Wouldn't you boys?"

"Yeah…I'm betting we take the long haired one down first" Frank said as he looked at his friends. "Do I have any takers?"

Ray one of the other men pulled a twenty out of his pocket.

"I'll bet you twenty we take the other one first."

"You're on." Frank said grinning as he looked back and forth between the brothers then looked at Carlos.

"Are you going to cut one like we did the last bunch? It's always more fun hunting a wounded animal." Frank asked.

"That's true. It's always fun to see whether they still stick together when one of them is wounded or if the healthy one leaves the hurt one behind and saves himself."

"Which one do you want to cut?" Ray said taking out his knife and walking toward the brothers.

"Let me think on that….or better yet maybe I'll let them decide. But for now let's string them up for the night and we'll start the hunt tomorrow morning."

The brothers were forced over to a large tree then made to stand there while Santos strung ropes up around a strong branch. The other three held their guns on them and they knew there was no hope of escaping without the risk of one or both of them getting shot. Santos then tightly tied their hands together then hoisted them both up till they hung side by side from the branch. Sam winced in pain as his already sore stomach muscles were stretched. His pained expression was not lost on Carlos.

"So we already got us a wounded animal." Carlos walked over and lifted Sam's shirt up and saw the dark bruise on his stomach. "I guess we don't have to choose which one to hurt, the decision has already been made." Carlos started to turn away but then spun around slamming his fist into Sam's stomach.

Sam gasped as a sharp pain shot through him.

"Let him alone you son of a bitch!" Dean shouted as he kicked out trying to connect with Carlos but Carlos managed to avoid the kick and delivered another blow to Sam's stomach. Sam squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced in pain.

"I'm just softening your friend up for the hunt." Carlos turned to Dean and smiled. "Tomorrow we will see if you leave him and save yourself, or stay with him and risk certain death?"

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the kind reviews; I'm glad you like it so far.

**Hunted**

Chapter five

"You son of a bitch….I swear I'll make you pay for that!" Dean glared at Carlos who in response spun his rifle around and slammed the butt of it into Sam's knee.

"Just a little extra insurance." He said smiling at Dean.

Sam squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth not wanting Carlos to see how much pain he was causing him. Carlos then walked over and stood in front of Dean.

"Tomorrow we begin the hunt….Will you stay with your friend or desert him to save yourself?...We will soon see."

Dean said nothing and Carlos, finally tired of his game, walked away with his men. He and his men then set up a campsite and settled down for the night secure in the fact that their hostages weren't going anywhere.

**Forty five minutes later**

Once Dean was sure that the men had fallen asleep he looked over at Sam whose head hung down on his chest. He wasn't sure if his brother was even conscious.

"Sam? Sammy you okay?" Dean whispered to Sam. When he didn't respond right away he kicked him gently on his leg.

Sam moaned softly then looked over at Dean.

"You okay Sammy?"

"I think…I think they broke my leg." Sam said as he tried to flex his leg but the movement caused him agony.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Dean murmured under his breath as he looked over at Carlos. He then looked back at Sam. "We'll give them a few minutes to make sure they're asleep then we're out of here."

Carlos had taken their guns and cell phones but hadn't thoroughly searched them. They both still had their knives hidden up their sleeves attached to spring loaded cuffs. After a few minutes Dean nodded to Sam and they both flexed their wrists releasing the knives. They always kept the knives sharp and it took them only a few seconds to cut through the ropes. Dean cut through his first and when he was free he quickly helped Sam down as gently as possible. Sam squeezed his eyes shut as a sharp pain shot up his leg when he put pressure on his foot but Dean didn't have time to sympathize with him. He immediately put Sam's arm around his shoulder and quietly led him out of the camp.

**Twenty minutes later**

They traveled as quickly as they could for twenty minutes keeping an eye out for the traps Carlos had hidden in the woods then finally Dean stopped and lowered Sam to a rock to rest.

"We better keep moving." Sam said as he looked up at one of the cameras hanging in the branches high above them.

"I don't think there is anyone manning them." Dean had been keeping an eye on the cameras and hadn't noticed any of them following them. "Besides you need to rest and I need to take a look at your leg."

Dean gently pushed up Sam's pant's leg. He winced in sympathy when he saw his brother's swollen knee which had now turned purple.

"Can you move it at all?" He asked as he examined it.

Sam gave a little grunt of pain as he tried to bend his knee.

"Barely."

"I don't think it's broken." Dean said as he felt around Sam's knee cap and couldn't find any obvious break. "Just really swollen and badly bruised."

"Dean we got to keep moving …. We got to get out of here."

"We will…but you need to rest first."

Dean took his shirt off then removed his T shirt. He ripped it into strips then dipped it in the creek he had been following and started heading back toward Sam. It wouldn't help much but he figured he could tie the cold wet strips around Sam's knee to give his knee some support and to help a little with the swelling. But just before he reached Sam he tripped over a wire hidden under some leaves and heard a clicking sound. He stood perfectly still angry at himself for being careless for even just one second. He looked over at Sam and could see the fear and uncertainty written all over his brother's face. Without moving he looked down and followed the wire with his eyes trying to see where it led.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

I appreciate the reviews, thanks.

**Hunted**

Chapter six

"Dean?" Sam saw his brother stop suddenly and could tell something was wrong.

"I tripped a wire Sam."

Sam slowly got up and stood on one leg as he tried to keep his other foot off the ground. Any pressure on his knee caused him pain.

"Don't move." He called over to his brother.

"Don't worry I'm not going anywhere."

Sam hopped over to Dean then followed the wire till he found what it was attached to.

"How bad is it?" Dean asked.

"Do you really want to know?" Sam asked as he tried to think of some way to disarm the trap.

"Yeah Sam I want to know…Is it bad….or is it really, really bad?"

"I'd say it's just bad."

"Oh good….What is it?"

"A crossbow."

"Oh."

Sam looked around the area then picked up a large piece of bark that was lying on the ground. He then moved over and stood in front of Dean and held the bark in front of him.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked.

"Go ahead and trip the wire."

"What?"

"Trip the wire."

"Are you nuts? If it's a crossbow the arrow could go right through that!"

"It's all we got."

"Give it to me….I'll hold it." Dean reached for the piece of bark.

"I got it ….just trip the wire." Sam pulled it away.

"Sam….."

"Go ahead Dean do it."

Dean knew if the bark didn't stop the arrow it would hit Sam and there was no way he was going to let that happen.

"Give me the bark Sam….I'm the one that screwed up…I'll take the hit."

"Damn it Dean just trip the damn wire!" Sam, who was still standing on one foot, was starting to lose his balance and he knew if he fell Dean would be hit by the arrow.

Dean knew he had no choice. Sam was in front of him and if he lost his balance and fell onto the wire the crossbow would go off and the arrow might hit his brother. At least now his brother had the protection of the bark in front of him but would it be enough to stop the arrow?

"Ready?" Dean asked.

"Yeah….hurry…" Sam was starting to get wobbly.

Dean held his breath as he moved his foot tripping the wire. He could hear the whoosh of the arrow as it flew through the leaves and toward them then heard a thud as it hit the bark. He watched in horror as his brother gave a little grunt of pain as he dropped the bark and fell forward.

"Sam? Sammy!"

Dean dropped to his brother's side. If Sam was hurt because of him he'd never forgive himself. Why hadn't he been more careful? He knew there were traps all around, but his one moment of carelessness might have hurt his brother, or even killed him. What if the arrow went completely through the bark and was now embedded in Sam? What if it had pierced his heart? He swallowed hard as he looked at the piece of bark which now was split in two.

"Sammy?" Dean put his hand on Sam's shoulder and gently turned him over.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews.

**Hunted**

Chapter seven

"Sam?"

Sam looked up at Dean and gave him a little smile.

"Boy that was close." He said as he lay on his back and rubbed the small wound at the top of his waistband where just the tip of the arrow had nicked him.

"Damn it Sammy you could have gotten yourself killed." Dean said as he tied the cool wet cloths around Sam's knee. "That should brace it and help with the swelling a little."

"Thanks." The coolness of the wet t-shirt was already making Sam's knee feel better.

Dean stood up then reached down to help Sam up. Sam grabbed his hand and started to pull himself up but then winced in pain as his hand shot to his stomach.

"Take it easy…." Dean said as he lowered Sam back to the ground. "Let me take a look at you."

Dean pulled Sam's shirt up. His stomach had already been bruised before they met the men but now with the beating he took the bruise had spread and now completely covered his stomach and his left side.

"Those bastards!" Dean said as he examined the bruise as gently as he could.

"Owww!" Sam pushed his brother's hands away. "Quit pressing on it."

"Sam …. I think it might be your spleen."

"Oh great…." Sam said as he leaned back trying to ease the pain. "…a busted knee and now this."

The brothers knew enough first aide to know that if Sam's spleen was damaged he could be bleeding internally and there was no way to stop it.

"I said it might be….It might also just be a bad bruise." Dean said trying to reassure his brother that it might not be as bad as it looked. He was worried, if it was Sam's spleen he could bleed to death before they got out of the woods. But he knew they had to keep moving. The men could already be out looking for them and their best chance was to travel as far as they could in the dark. He went over and picked up the crossbow then found the arrow, he knew it might come in handy later. The tip was a little dull from hitting the bark but it still could do some damage. He then walked over to his brother "Sam…I know you're hurting but we got to keep moving."

"I know." Sam reached up his hand and Dean grabbed it. He gently pulled Sam up then once again put his brother's arm over his shoulder and began helping Sam out of the woods but this time he slowed down the pace considerably.

**An hour later**

"I guess by now they probably found out we're missing." Dean said as he lowered Sam to a rock to rest.

"We got to pick up the pace Dean. We don't know how many of them are out there and once it gets light out…" Sam was exhausted but he knew they had to keep going.

"We need to take a little rest." Dean could tell that the continuous walking was taking its toll on his brother and he needed to rest.

Dean leaned down and pulled Sam's shirt up; he didn't like what he saw. The purple bruise on Sam's stomach and side was getting even larger. He tried to hide his worried look.

"It doesn't look too good does it?" Sam said looking up at his brother. "You know Dean you could get out of here a lot faster if you didn't have to drag me with you."

"We're walking out of here together Sam." Dean wasn't about to even consider anything else.

"You could make it to the car quicker by yourself and get some weapons, or flag down a car and get some help."

"No Sam…we're in this together and we're getting out of it together."

"Well then we better get moving." Sam slowly stood up knowing it was useless to argue with his brother. He took a few painful steps by himself but Dean quickly went to him and put his arm once more over his shoulder and started helping him through the woods. What was making the trip even harder was that they had to stay off the deer trails that crisscrossed throughout the woods because that was where most of the cameras were hidden and instead they had to fight their way through the thick vegetation. The going was made even slower because they had to keep an eye out for traps and cameras. They had walked for about half an hour and Dean could tell Sam was exhausted so he helped him over to a tree stump to rest. He had just sat down when they heard a clicking noise as a microphone hidden in a tree turned on and a voice spoke.

"You are clever adversaries but not as clever as us."

The statement was followed by a gunshot.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks so much for the kind reviews, I hope you're not disappointed with the rest of the story.

**Hunted**

Chapter eight

The ground exploded at Dean's feet where the bullet had hit the dirt. He quickly grabbed Sam's arm and pulled him up knowing they had to get out of there and he couldn't take the time to be gentle with him. Sam gasped in pain as he was yanked to his feet and his arm once more put over his brother's shoulder. Dean then led him back into the thick woods using it as cover.

"Sorry Sam." Dean apologized as he drug Sam through the woods.

"It's okay…." Sam managed to get out as he winced in pain every time his side was twisted or his sore knee hit the ground.

"Did you hear the way that shot sounded?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"That was from a long distance rifle. They were using a scope…probably a night vision scope."

"So they're further away then they want us to believe."

"Yeah….But a shot that far can still kill you."

"Yeah, but as long as we keep moving and keep enough trees between us and them they can't get a clear shot off and we still stand a better chance then if they were right behind us."

"How the hell did they know where we were? The cameras that we saw didn't seem to be working or maybe were turned off because the red light was out."

"Well hopefully they don't get many visitors out here and maybe were a little lax in keeping their equipment in working order. Or maybe with all the rain we've been having the system short-circuited."

"Let's hope that's true."

"But they still have the long distance scope so if they spot us they can still shoot us."

"Well at least we have the crossbow and one arrow."

"A lot of good that's going to do us unless they're right on top of us, and even then we can only take one of them out."

"But at least it will be one less to worry about."

**Later**

They kept running till they came to a rocky cliff.

"We're almost there." Dean said as they stood at the top of the rocks and looked down. From their vantage point they could see the road where they had left the car. Dean, knowing Sam was injured, knew there would be no way his brother could climb down the side of the cliff, not with his bad leg and stomach injury. He looked over at Sam. "We're going to make it Sam…we'll just take the easy route." He said as he started leading Sam back into the woods and cover. They kept to the woods keeping the cliffs to their left as a guiding point. Eventually they knew they'd find an easy passage through the rocks, the same one they had come up a few days earlier.

After walking for about a half hour they felt the ground suddenly give way beneath their feet and they were hurled into a deep pit filled with about two feet of water. Sam hit the ground hard and cried out in pain as he landed on his sore leg. Dean also hit the ground hard but quickly recovered and immediately began looking for a way out. It was then he smelled it and he knew immediately what the smell was…it was the smell of death. He looked around the pit and noticed two bodies half submerged floating facedown beneath the water both in an advance stage of decay.

"Sam." He called to his brother as he nodded toward the bodies. He walked over to the bodies and grabbed the first body he came to and flipped it over. He could see a bullet hole in the front of the skull and it was obvious that the man had either fallen into the pit and been shot, or had been shot first then dumped in the pit. Either way Dean knew they had to get out of there …and soon.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

I appreciate the reviews, thanks.

**Hunted**

Chapter nine

"They've been shot Sam." Dean said as he walked over to his brother who was sitting in the water both hands holding onto his sore knee. "You okay?" He asked as he bent down and examined Sam's knee which now had swollen to twice its size and was covered by an ugly purple bruise.

"Yeah."

Dean knew he was lying.

"How's your stomach?" Dean gently pulled up Sam's shirt and winced in sympathy when he saw that Sam's entire stomach was also covered in a dark purple bruise. "Damn it…." He swore softly. He knew his brother should be in a hospital getting checked out, not out here running from some jerks in the woods.

Dean checked out the sides of the pit and smiled.

"I can get out of here. There are some tree roots hanging from the side and it should be a pretty easy climb up. I'm going to climb out then I'm getting you out."

"Dean…they're getting close. When you get out of here I want you to leave…just go and don't look back."

"Sam…" Dean started to protest.

"It you don't we're both going to end up like them." Sam nodded to the bodies. Were the same men that were chasing them the ones who had killed them he wondered?

"If I get out… you're getting out."

There was no way Dean was going to leave his baby brother behind.

"Dean there's no way I can climb out of here…not with a busted knee. You need to get out of here and get word to the cops about what's going on here."

"Not without you….nope ain't happening."

"Dean….they might have killed these people….they've got to be stopped or they'll go right on killing."

"Sam if I leave you here you're dead."

"I know…" Sam answered honestly as he looked into his brother's eyes. "But if you don't we're both dead and these men win. Dean more people could die if we don't stop them and you know that as well as I do."

Dean knew Sam was right but he wasn't going to think about that right now, right now his main concern was just getting himself out of the pit.

He reached for one of the roots and began climbing out. After slipping a few times he finally pulled himself up.

"Piece of cake Sam." He said as he leaned over the edge of the pit and extended his hand to Sam. "Grab my hand Sam."

Sam stood on his good leg and reached toward Dean's hand but he was at least a foot away and couldn't reach it.

"Come on Sam grab it!"

"I can't…I can't reach it." Sam tried again but it was impossible.

"Try!"

Sam tried to jump up to grab Dean's hand but he landed on his bad leg twisting it under him. He cried out in pain and fell back into the water.

Dean took off his belt and made a loop in it then hung the loop over the hole.

"Sam put your hand through the loop and I'll pull you up."

Sam stood up and this time he easily reached the belt and looped his hand through it. He then tried to climb up the roots with one leg while Dean pulled him up with the belt. It was very slow going because Sam couldn't help much, not with the strain on his stomach and leg which were agonizing. Dean anchored himself and pulled as hard as he could, he knew it had to work, if he didn't get Sam out his brother was as good as dead.

Finally Sam was at the top of the hole and Dean reached down and grabbed him by the back of his belt and yanked him up. They both lay on the ground exhausted.

"Next time we fall in a hole it's your time to pull me up." Dean managed to get out as he tried to catch his breath.

"It's a deal."

After about a minute Dean stood up then reached a hand down to pull Sam up. Just as Sam reached for his brother's hand he saw a shape emerge behind him.

"Dean look out!" Sam shouted.

Dean spun around but he was too late. A Wendigo stood behind him its long arms reaching out for him. But instead of grabbing him it tossed him to the side going instead for the person who was injured and less likely to be able to fight it, Sam. Dean knew he had no way to kill it so he did the only thing he could think of to protect his brother. He jumped up and ran toward it, then grabbing it and holding on he threw them both off the cliff.

"Dean!" Sam's eyes were wide with horror as he watched the Wendigo and his brother disappear over the edge and out of sight.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks a lot for the reviews.

**Hunted**

Chapter ten

"Dean!" Sam screamed again as he crawled over to the side of the cliff and looked down. He couldn't see his brother anywhere. "Dean!" He frantically called over and over for his brother. He wiped angrily at the tears that filled his eyes. Flipping out wasn't going to help Dean.

**Near the bottom of the cliff**

Dean could hear Sam calling out for him and wanted to answer him but the air had been knocked out of him when he hit the ground and he couldn't speak. He had been lucky, he had landed on top of the creature and it had broken his fall. But he knew he was in big trouble, the Wendigo was only dazed and would soon recover. More then likely since he had hurt it it would kill him outright and not drag him off to its lair to consume later. He finally managed to roll off of the creature and slowly made it to his feet. Other then being a little bruised and twisting his ankle when he landed he was surprised that he seemed fine. He looked up at the cliff and a feeling of hopelessness overtook him. It could take hours to make it back up the steep cliff to his brother. He knew he could make it to the car quicker then trying to climb the cliff, and then he could circle around and make his way back to Sam. If he could make it to the car he could get weapons plus a flare to kill the creature. He knew it took fire to kill a Wendigo and that's how they had killed it before, with a flare. He could hear the desperation in Sam's voice as he screamed his name. He tried to yell back to him to tell him he was okay but he was still out of breath and couldn't get anything to come out of his mouth. He looked up and could see that Sam was starting to climb down the side of the cliff; he knew his brother was in no shape to attempt a climb. He walked out to where he hoped Sam could see him. He took a couple of deep breaths trying to get his voice back then looked up at his brother.

"Sam!"

At first Sam wasn't sure if he was just hearing things or if his brother was really calling to him. How could it be Dean? He was probably dead or lying gravely injured at the bottom of the cliff. Maybe it was the Wendigo who was known to mimic voices. He continued to try to make his way down the cliff when he heard his name again. This time he stopped and looked down. He let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw Dean far below looking up at him.

"Dean!... Dean you okay?" As he looked down at his brother he suddenly lost his footing and slid down a few feet.

"Sam!" Dean felt his stomach lurch when he saw Sam slid, a few more feet and he could have lost his grip and fallen to his death. "Go back up Sam! I'm going to the car…I'll be back sooner then if I try to climb up the cliff. Just stay in the woods and hide…I'll find you when I get back." The thought of leaving his brother left a sour feeling in his stomach. If those men found Sam before he got back…. He couldn't think about that, he had no choice. Going to the car and bringing back weapons was their only hope. If he climbed up the cliff once he got there they still would be helpless. The only hope they had was if he could make it to the car and get back to Sam before the men did. He looked over to where the Wendigo had been lying hoping it had been badly hurt but it was gone. His heart started pounding in his chest when he saw that it was climbing back up the cliff…climbing back up to Sam.

"Sam it's coming back up! You got to get out of there!" He shouted up to Sam as he pointed at the creature that was easily making its way back up the cliff. He picked up some rocks and began throwing them at it. "Come on you son of a bitch turn around!...Come after me you bastard!"

The rocks had no affect on the thing. Dean knew there was absolutely nothing he could do but get to the car and bring back weapons.

"Sam go…get out of there! Find somewhere to hide! I'll be back!" It was the hardest thing he ever had to do to turn his back on his brother but he had no choice. He turned and ran in the direction he knew the car was in. His only hope was that he could get back to Sam in time, before either the men or the Wendigo reached him.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

I appreciate the reviews, thanks.

**Hunted **

Chapter eleven

Dean ran through the woods as fast as he could ignoring the pain in his twisted ankle. He didn't even try to protect himself from the branches and bushes that sliced at his face and body. He knew time was running out for Sam, if the Wendigo didn't get him then the men that were hunting them would. He prayed he hadn't made a mistake by leaving Sam but he had no choice, it would have taken him twice as long to climb the cliff as it would to reach his car and double back. But the thought that he had left his injured brother alone to defend for himself was screaming inside his brain. If anything happened to Sam…. He knew he would never forgive himself.

**On top of the cliff**

Sam watched as his brother ran off through the thick woods. He shut his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, at least Dean should make it out alive….but he wasn't so sure about himself. He looked down the cliff and could see the Wendigo slowly getting closer. He knew he was no match for it even if he was well. The only thing that could destroy it was fire and they had used the last flare they had brought into the woods with them to destroy the one they had killed the other day. He had never heard of two Wendigos inhabiting the same forest but apparently they did. Sam looked around for a place to hide as he kept his hand pressed tightly over his sore stomach. He didn't know which hurt worse, his stomach or his knee. For a moment he thought 'so this is the way I'm going to die, at the hands of a Wendigo' He took a little satisfaction in knowing that at least he'd die by the hands of something they hunted rather then die in a show down with humans.

For a brief second he thought of jumping off the cliff, it would be a lot less painful then being ripped apart and eaten alive by the creature. But Dean told him he'd be back and he didn't want his brother to think he took the coward's way out. He finally found a tree which had a thick covering of leaves high up in its branches and painfully began to climb up it. He knew if the Wendigo could climb cliffs it wouldn't have much trouble climbing a tree but it was the only thing he had, plus maybe it would at least hide him from the men that were also after him. Once he was secure near the top of the tree he rested and his thoughts turned to Dean. He knew his brother would be devastated by his death and he didn't want that. Dean had protected him all his life but there was no way he could protect him now. He hoped once he was gone Dean would stop hunting and try to lead a normal life. But in his heart he knew this was all Dean knew. He himself had gotten out of the life for a short period when he went to Stanford. He had enjoyed his brief chance at normalcy and had actually fallen in love. The thought of Jessica caused a sharp pain in his heart. But the life his family led had taken Jessica from him and now he had nothing but his brother. Even their dad had died because of what they did for a living. He allowed himself a small smile as he pictured Dean working a nine to five job. No….he knew that would never happen.

**Back at the car**

Dean finally reached the car and didn't even allow himself time to catch his breath; Sam's life was in danger. He threw open the trunk and grabbed an automatic pistol, flare gun, and a first aide kit. He also picked up a small kit which contained collapsible poles that could be linked together plus a blanket and straps. He had no idea what shape Sam was going to be in when he found him and figured he might have to strap the blanket to the poles and make a litter to drag him out of the woods if he had to. As soon as he had everything he needed he turned and headed back into the woods.

"Hang in there Sammy, I'm coming." He said softly as he hurried back to his brother praying he'd get there in time.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks once more for the reviews, glad you still like the story.

**Hunted**

Chapter twelve

**Later **

Sam could feel his eyes growing heavy as exhaustion overcame him. He knew if he fell asleep he was as good as dead. He had to stay alert…The men could be anywhere plus he knew the Wendigo by now should have reached the top of the cliff. Where was it? Had it given up and left? He doubted it. It was probably out there somewhere watching waiting for him to move. He stayed as still as possible, he knew one move and the thing would be on him in no time. Then he heard it.

"Sam! Sam where are you?"

It sounded like Dean but he knew a Wendigo could mimic a voice. His heart pounded in his chest. What if it was Dean? What if by not answering him the Wendigo would hear Dean and go after him? He shifted a little in the tree trying to get a better look and hoping to see some sign of his brother, but there wasn't any.

"Sam!" The voice called out again.

"Damn it!" Sam whispered to himself. The voice sounded so much like his brother's. He looked in every direction but still saw nothing.

It was then he heard a click. He looked down and saw the four hunters standing below him pointing rifles up at him.

"Come down or we'll shoot you down."

These men were good; they had snuck up on him without a sound.

"There's something out there…There's something that will kill all of us." Sam told the men. Sam knew the best case scenario would be if the Wendigo came after the men and drug them back to his lair. Then while the creature was busy with them Dean would show up and he and his brother could make it out of there. But even though these men wanted to kill him he still felt the need to warn them, after all they were human. "I'm serious….there's a creature out there that will kill all of us. So I suggest you get out of here while you can."

Carlos raised the rifle and fired toward Sam.

**In the woods**

Dean heard the gunshot and knew it meant only one thing….the hunters had found Sam.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean shouted as he continued running toward the last spot he had seen his brother. If Sam was hurt in anyway he swore he'd kill every one of them.

The branch next to Sam splintered as the bullet ripped into it.

"The next shot is through your brain." Carlos said as he pointed the rifle at Sam's head.

Sam didn't have any options. Either he could come down and be killed by either the hunters or the Wendigo, or be shot out of the tree and still end up dead. Actually being killed outright seemed pretty good right now; at least he wouldn't be ripped apart by the creature. But Sam knew that Dean was still out there somewhere. Maybe, just maybe, he would get to him in time.

"Okay…okay…." Sam yelled down to the men then started slowly climbing down the tree trying not to put too much pressure on his bad leg.

Once down Ray grabbed him and pushed him hard against the tree.

"Where's your friend?"

"He's gone."

"Gone where?"

"He fell off the cliff…he's probably dead."

"I heard him calling to you."

"That wasn't him….That was the creature."

Ray gave a little laugh.

"You're telling me this creature sounds just like a human? What kind of fools do you think we are?"

"You can believe what you want. But what you need to know is that there _is_ a creature out here that will kill you, kill me, kill all of us."

Ray looked over at his partners and laughed.

"The kid's trying to scare me with Bigfoot tales."

"It isn't a Bigfoot….it's a Wendigo. And they're not tales. The creature is very much alive."

"You think we're stupid of what?"

"I don't have to think you're stupid … I know it."

Ray spun the rifle around and slammed it into Sam's stomach.

Sam grunted in pain and went down to his knees, his arms folded over his stomach. But the pressure on his bad knee caused him to fall to his side where he lay on the ground his arms wrapped protectively over his stomach.

Ray looked over at Carlos.

"Why don't we just finish him off here then go find the other one?"

"Go ahead." Carlos knew they had to find Dean before he had a chance to get out of the woods and go to the cops

"Kiss yourself goodbye kid." Ray said as he pointed his rifle at Sam's head.

The silence of the woods was shattered by a single gunshot.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for the reviews

**Hunted**

Chapter thirteen

They all spun toward the sound of the gunshot. Frank stood with his gun pointed toward the woods, his face etched with fear.

"What the hell are you doing?" Carlos asked. "Is his friend out there?" He looked out into the thick woods but saw nothing.

"No, but there's something out there, something big!"

Carlos laughed.

"This boy got you spooked. There's nothing out there but deer and a few bears….and this boy's friend."

"I'm serious man, there's something big out there!" Frank was terrified; he knew he had seen something moving out there, something huge.

"Listen to him." Sam spoke up. "He's telling you the truth. There's a creature out there that will kill all of us."

"You keep your mouth shut boy! Quit tryjng to spook my men!" Carlos backhanded Sam hard across his face.

"The kid's right Carlos there's something out there…I saw it!" Frank pointed toward the woods. "Over there!" Frank fired another shot into the woods.

"Damn it Frank, this man has you shooting at shadows."

"I'm telling you the truth, something's out there!" Frank, his eyes wild with fear looked at Sam. "What the hell is that thing?"

"I told you it's called a Wendigo…and you can't kill it with bullets."

"You can kill anything with a bullet." Ray said as he pointed his gun at Sam. "And you're about to find that out."

Dean hurried as fast as he could toward the last spot he had seen his brother. He knew the additional equipment he was carrying was holding him back but there was no way he could leave any of it behind, it was all needed. He had heard the second shot and hoped it meant Sam had somehow escaped. But he knew with Sam's bad knee and his injured stomach it was unlikely. He could only pray that the men had run into the Wendigo and _it _was the reason for the gunshots. But he felt like he had been punched in the chest and all the air sucked from his lungs when he heard four more gunshots one right after the other and a few seconds later four more. Were they shooting at his brother as he tried to escape? A cold chill shot through him ….Had he just heard his brother being killed?

The four men looked in horror as the creature walked out of the woods and toward them. Each man shot toward it but the bullets didn't seem to hurt it but only made it angry.

The Wendigo threw its head back and screamed in rage. The men fired again but this time the creature reached out with its long bony arms grabbing both Carlos and Ray and threw them against a tree. They both lay at the bottom of it stunned. It then turned its attention to Sam and the other two men.

Sam knew he was doomed; with his bad leg he knew there was no way he could outrun the creature. It reached for him then seeming to sense he was hurt and no threat to it tossed him aside. Next it went for Santos and Frank. They continued firing at it as they backed away. It suddenly jumped forward and landed on Frank knocking him down. He screamed in both fear and pain as the creature sunk its teeth deep into his throat. With a shake of its head it ripped Frank's head from its body. It tossed the head to the side then sat down on the ground and began to rip the flesh from his body and feed. While the creature was preoccupied Santos fled into the woods, his only thought was to get as far from the grisly scene as possible.

Sam watched the sickening scene in front of him and knew that now was the time to try and escape while the creature was feeding. He tried to stand but his leg gave out and he went down hard. He looked over at the other two men and could see that they were beginning to come around. He figured that if he couldn't get out of there maybe they could. He glanced over at the creature and saw that it was occupied with Frank's body and wasn't watching him so he quietly crawled over to the two men.

"You got to try and get out of here. When that thing's done with him he'll come for us."

"No, he'll come for _you_." Carlos said as he kicked Sam in his already sore knee. Sam gasped in pain and rolled away from Carlos.

Carlos looked over at Ray.

"Come on, let's get out of here! When that things done with Frank it'll start on the kid."

They both slowly stood up trying not to draw attention to themselves, but before they could get far the creature was on them. It knocked them both to the ground then reached down and grabbed them by their collars. The creature then went over to Sam and grabbed him also. It then began to drag all three men back to its lair. It would feed well today.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks for the kind reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Hunted**

Chapter fourteen

Dean finally reached the last place he had seen Sam. His eyes grew wide and he dropped his equipment….the area was covered in blood and body parts.

"Sam!...Sammy!" He shouted as he looked around the area.

His face wrinkled in disgust and horror as he looked at the blood, hunks of skin, and body parts that littered the area. Was that what was left of his brother?

"Sam!"

Tears of worry and frustration filled his eyes. Where the hell was his brother?

Dean walked over and picked up a piece of blood covered shirt. It was the same shade of blue that his brother had been wearing. He swallowed the lump in his throat as an ice cold chill ran through his body. Was Sam dead?

"Sammy…." Dean said softly as he looked at the piece of shirt as a tear ran down his face. But then he saw it….Frank's head.

He let out a sigh of relief. So it was Frank the creature had shredded. Did that mean Sam might still be alive? He felt a little pain in his heart as he realized that Sam had probably been here and had seen Frank being ripped to shreds and eaten. He knew how hard it was for his brother to have to stand by and watch a human being killed and not to be able to do anything about it….even a human like Frank. Their whole life had been dedicated to saving humans and he knew a little piece of Sam died each time they failed.

"Sammy!" He called out again praying he'd hear an answer.

It was then he heard something coming towards him from out of the woods.

**The Wendigo's lair**

The three men struggled to free themselves from the Wendigo's grasp but it was impossible. Every time one of them was almost free the creature slammed them against the ground rendering them semi conscious. Sam knew that the other two men were actually lucky. They had no idea what awaited them back at the creature's lair, but Sam knew. He had hunted Wendigo's many times before and his brother once had been held captive by it. He knew the creature would string them up in the cave and leave them hanging there sometimes for days. The lucky one would go first, the others would be left hanging and be forced to watch as the creature, now that it was safe in its lair, took its time to slowly devour the man alive.

When they reached the cave the Wendigo hung each man up side by side just like Sam knew it would. Since it had just fed on Frank it was full for the moment and crawled off into the cave to sleep. But Sam knew the creature had a ravenous appetite and would soon return for one of them.

**The Woods**

Dean took both the flare gun and a regular gun from his pack. He had no idea if it was the creature or something else in the woods.

"Come out of there!" He ordered who ever it was. He hoped he'd see Sam walking out of the woods but instead Santos walked toward him also holding a gun on him.

"We meet again." Santos said pointing the gun at Dean.

"Where is my brother?"

"He and the others were taken by some kind of creature." Santos stepped closer. "Your brother seemed to know about the creature…He called it a Wen… something or other." He couldn't remember the name of it.

"A Wendigo."

"So you know of this creature too?"

"Yeah, I've seen one before."

"The creature has two of my friends." Santos looked over to where Frank's head lay. "I see you've found my other friend."

"That thing is going to kill my brother and your friends unless we stop him."

"And how to you expect to do that? We shot it over and over and it didn't even slow it down."

"I have my ways." Dean nodded toward Santos's gun. "I say we end our differences for now and work together to save my brother and your friends."

"And how do I know you really know how to kill that thing."

"You don't. You'll just have to trust me." When the man still didn't lower the gun Dean continued. "That thing has my brother and if it's the last thing I do I'm getting him away from it. You can either come with me, or you can shoot me, in which case your friends die and maybe you too."

"Okay." Santos slowly lowered the gun and Dean did the same. "We will call a truce for now."

"We got to get moving before that thing gets hungry again." Dean said as he nodded toward tracks in the mud where you could clearly see the Wendigo's footprints leading out of the area and obviously dragging something behind it.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

I appreciate the reviews, thanks.

**Hunted**

Chapter fifteen

**The Wendigo's lair**

Sam moaned softly as he tried to shift his weight from one hand to the other. The pull on his arms was putting a strain on his already sore stomach. He didn't want to die but right now he would have welcomed the creature coming back and finishing him off, at least then he'd be out of pain.

"What's that thing going to do to us?" Carlos asked looking over at Sam.

"The same thing it did to your friend." Sam didn't try to sugar coat it. These men were going to kill him and his brother and right now he didn't really care if their last moments were spent in fear knowing they were going to die.

"How the hell did you know about that thing? I've been farming these woods for years and I never ran across one."

"They're pretty territorial…you were lucky, apparently your crop was out of its territory."

"How do we kill it?"

"Fire." Sam gave a little laugh. "But it's a little late for that."

"How long before it comes back?"

"Minutes, hours, days….there's no way of telling. Just depends on how hungry it is."

"We got to get out of here!" Ray cried out as he struggled with his ropes. "I don't want to die!"

"Keep your voice down." Sam warned him. "If it hears you it'll come back sooner."

The man was terrified and didn't pay any attention to Sam.

"I don't want to die! Not like this!"

"Shut up!" Sam tried warning the man again.

The man looked toward the back of the cave and saw a dark shape emerge from the shadows. He screamed in fear realizing that he had woken the creature and it was now walking toward them.

**Out in the woods**

Dean kept following the tracks which were so obvious that even an amateur tracker could follow them. He could see the broken branches and bushes where the men had tried to hold onto them as they were dragged through the woods by the Wendigo. The ground also was kicked up and disturbed by their bodies as they were dragged.

"What do we do when we get there?" Santos asked as he followed behind Dean.

"We'll figure it out when we get there." Dean could only pray that Sam was still alive and that they'd get there in time.

"Maybe that thing killed them all already."

"That's a possibility, but I don't think so."

"How can you be so certain?"

"These creatures like to make their prey suffer…I guess it thinks it makes their meat just that much more tasty."

Santos suddenly reached out and spun Dean around.

"How do you know all this? Who the hell are you?"

"I've run across them before and who I am is none of your damn business." Dean said as he knocked Santos's hand off of him.

Santos threw a punch at Dean but he easily sidestepped him and threw one of his own. Santos went down hard and Dean stood over him.

"My brother and your friends are out there and that's all I care about. I'm not about to waste time fighting with you or telling you my life history. We either work together or I'll do it on my own, it's your choice."

At first Santos glared back up at Dean but then suddenly held up his hand. Dean grabbed it and pulled him up.

"Okay, we'll work together at least until we get our friends back."

"Good, then let's get moving." Dean once more started tracking the creature.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks for the reviews.

**Hunted**

Chapter sixteen

**The Wendigo's cave**

"Stay away from me!" Ray screamed as the creature slowly walked toward them. In response to Ray's screams the creature threw back its head and screamed in rage. It had been woken from its sleep and wasn't happy.

"Stop screaming…you're only making it mad." Sam warned Ray. He hoped if they didn't provoke it the creature would return to its nap.

But Ray was terrified and wasn't listening.

"Get the hell away from me!" He screamed again and began kicking out toward the creature. His aggression toward it only made it angrier. It growled at him and showed its sharp pointy teeth.

"No!...No!...Nooooo!" Ray screamed again as the creature moved in on him.

Sam's protective instinct kicked in. He had been trained to protect people all his life and even though these men were out to kill him he felt compelled to try and protect them.

"Hey you ugly son of a bitch over here!" He called out to it as he tried to kick it with his good leg.

The creature ignored him and lowered its mouth toward Ray's shoulder.

Ray threw back his head and screamed.

"Over here you bastard!" Sam shouted to it again. This time he twisted his body and managed to kick the thing in its side.

The creature turned toward Sam and reached out its long bony hand. With one swift swipe it ripped open his shirt and put a long deep scratch across his chest. Sam winced in pain but did not cry out. The creature then struck him in his face snapping his head to the side. He fought to stay conscious but the blow was hard and he could feel darkness closing in. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the creature standing in front of him licking his blood off of its nails.

**The woods**

"What do we do when we get there?"

"Just stay behind me. I'll let you know once we see what's going on."

"What is that thing?"

"It's a Wendigo….a cannibalistic spirit." Dean said as he continued following the tracks.

"Where did it come from?"

"The legend says it's a spirit of a human who had resorted to cannibalism. … This land was frequented by pioneers on their way west. Some of them became snowbound and ran out of food and turned to cannibalism."

"You really believe that?"

"It doesn't really matter what I believe. The creature's out here and we got to destroy it." Dean stopped for a second when he saw a small pool of blood on the trail; he swallowed hard hoping it wasn't Sam's.

Santos walked over and looked down at the blood.

"Maybe he killed them already."

"No…if he had we'd find body parts." Dean knew the longer it took to find the creature's lair the more likely one or more of the men would be dead, he just prayed it wouldn't be Sam. "We got to keep going."

They continued following the tracks which now contained drops of blood. Dean flashed back to the time he had been captured by a Wendigo. The creature was strong and ruthless and had no pity on the pain it caused its victims. He remembered hanging by his arms waiting to die and remembered the smell of the cave which had a horrible stench to it from all the decayed body parts that littered the floor. Knowing that fire was the only way to destroy the creature and unable to reach his flare gun he thought for sure he was going to die. But Sam had found him, probably from the candy he had managed to drop to mark the trail as the creature drug him to its lair. And he was going to find Sam too; there was no way he was leaving these woods without him.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Thanks for the reviews, glad you still like the story

**Hunted**

Chapter seventeen

**The Wendigo's lair**

Sam woke to the sound of someone screaming in agony. He moaned as he forced his eyes open and looked to his side. The Wendigo was squatting in front of Ray its hand up to his stomach. Sam's face wrinkled with disgust, the creature was eating Ray alive. Sam glanced over at Carlos and saw that he had his eyes squeezed shut, his head turned away, trying to block the scene out of his mind. Sam looked back at Ray and watched as the creature reached inside of a large opening in Ray's abdomen and pulled out hunks of flesh and intestines. The creature shoved them in his mouth then went back for more. Ray, still alive and aware that he was being eaten alive, screamed over and over. For a moment Sam was going to try to get the creature's attention off of Ray and on him but he knew it was too late for Ray. It was obvious he was going to die from his massive injuries and Sam would only delay the inevitable. Sam looked over at Carlos.

"Hey." He said softly not wanting to disturb the creature. "Hey, look at me…."

Carlos pulled on his ropes trying to move as far away from the bloody sight as he could.

"Hey." Sam whispered again and slowly Carlos turned toward him. "Try to be as quiet and as still as possible. Hopefully when it's done it'll crawl off somewhere to sleep."

"Fuck you! I'm not going to hang here and let that thing eat me!"

"You keep moving around like that, that's exactly what it's going to do. You got to be still, if you attract it with all that struggling you're doing when it's done with him it'll come after you."

Carlos looked over at Ray and watched as Ray threw his head back his mouth open in a silent scream as the creature reached deep into his stomach and continued devouring him. How could anyone live with half their insides gone he wondered? But finally Ray's head lolled onto his shoulder and he died. The creature then stood up and looked back and forth between Sam and Carlos deciding who would be next.

Sam swallowed hard as he looked into the creature's face. He had a feeling he would be next. The creature had already cut him and that was its way of marking him. His only hope was that his brother would get there in time. He knew Dean was making his way back to him and now with the hunters either dead or tied up next to him he shouldn't have any trouble. But would he get there in time? He had hoped the creature had eaten its fill and now would rest, but when the thing reached out and dug its nail deep into his stomach he wasn't so sure. He clamped his teeth together and winced in pain as he felt the nail go deep inside. The creature couldn't possibly still be hungry; it had just eaten two men. The Wendigo looked at him and snarled and Sam could smell Ray's blood on its breath. _Come on Dean…Where the hell are you?_ Sam thought as he shut his eyes and tried not to move. Dean had protected him all his life and he knew his death would devastate his brother. So this is how it was going to end … at the hands of a Wendigo. Well at least he wasn't brought down by humans he thought as the creature's mouth moved toward his neck.

**The Woods**

"What's that smell?" Santos asked wrinkling up his nose as the smell of decay and blood filled the air.

"We're getting closer." Dean told him. He had smelled that smell many times before….death. Dean knew a Wendigo wasn't a good housekeeper and left body parts and blood all over its lair, bodies that were piled on top of each other each in various stages of decay. He himself had even hung from the rafters of a mine shaft once in the middle of all that gore waiting to die. And now his brother was experiencing the same thing….that was if Sam was even still alive.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

I appreciate the reviews, thanks.

**Hunted**

Chapter eighteen

**The Wendigo's lair**

Just as the creature was about to bite Sam's neck it suddenly pulled back and once more dug its nail deep into Sam's stomach and licked the blood. To Sam it seemed like the thing was just playing with him, enjoying the pain it was inflicting. He tried to hold still, he knew squirming around would only excite the creature into a feeding frenzy. Maybe the thing was just toying with him and would soon crawl off to sleep. Sam looked over at Ray's body and a cold chill shot up his spine. Is that the way he was going to end up he wondered? Just a shell of a body with most of his internal organs devoured. He remembered the agonizing screams of Ray as he watched himself slowly being eaten. He tried to hide the fear that was slowly creeping over his body. He was sure that's what the creature wanted, to have adrenaline flow through his body as he screamed and struggled to free himself. Guess the adrenaline added more flavor to the meat he thought. The creature once more dug a claw deep into his injured stomach and the pain was agonizing. Somehow he managed to hold still, but when the creature reached toward his neck then made a deep cut down to his waist he couldn't hide the pain any longer. He whimpered as tears of agony filled his eyes.

"Dean!" He cried out for his brother. "Oh God Dean where are you?" He said softly as a feeling of total helplessness overwhelmed him.

**The Woods **

"When this is over we both go our separate ways." Dean told Santos. He wasn't asking him he was telling him. If Santos had any thought that if they managed to save his partners that they were still going to hunt him and his brother he was mistaken. Dean would kill all of them without a second thought. Right now all he wanted was to get Sam out of there alive that was all that mattered to him. He didn't give a damn about their drug activity. The dealers, if any were still alive, could go their way and he and his brother would go their way. "Deal?"

"If you free my friends then yes, we will not try to stop you from leaving the woods…you have my word."

Dean knew a drug dealer's word wasn't worth much but it was all he had. He knew his brother was going to be hurting and all he wanted was to patch him up and get him back to the car. More then likely Sam would need a hospital for his stomach and leg injuries and who knew what other injuries he might have by now. But as long as he was alive, that was all that mattered. It was then Dean heard his brother's painful cry.

"That's my brother!" Dean began running in the direction of the cry no longer needing to follow the tracks.

**The Wendigo's lair**

Dean pushed back the bushes that hid the front of the cave then looked back at Santos.

"Stay behind me…and if you see it don't waste your bullets you can't kill it."

"But you can kill it …right?"

"Yeah, I can kill it…but keep your eyes open, it could be hiding anywhere."

They slowly walked into the cave as Dean kept the flare gun out in front of him. The deadly silence was more terrifying then the scream he had heard. Did it mean all the men including Sam were dead?

Santos stayed right behind Dean. He had seen what the creature had done to Frank and he wasn't about to leave Dean's side.

"Where the hell are they?" He whispered to Dean.

"Shhhh." Dean put his fingers up to his lips. He knew Wendigos had excellent hearing and he wanted to try and take it by surprise.

He heard Sam cry out to him again, but this time his voice sounded very weak. Tears came to his eyes…. How bad was Sam hurt he wondered? Or, was it the Wendigo mimicking his brother's voice trying to draw them in… he had no way of knowing?

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks for the reviews.

**Hunted**

Chapter nineteen

Dean continued further into the cave following the voices with Santos following close behind.

"Sammy….Sammy where are you?" Dean called out but was only answered by silence. He looked back at Santos. "Stick close to me and keep your eyes open, is you see anything move let me know."

"Believe me, you'll be the first to know." He said giving Dean a small smile.

A few minutes later the light from Dean's flashlight lit up a pile of bones and decaying flesh then a few seconds later it lit up three bodies strung from the ceiling, one of them Sam. The creature was no where in sight.

"Sam!" Dean ran to his brother while Santos ran to Carlos.

Sam's body was covered in blood and Dean could see the deep cut running down his chest to his waistband where the creature had sliced him open. He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the shallow rise and fall of his brother's chest and knew he was still alive.

"Sammy?" Dean put his hand up to Sam's chin and gently raised his head. When Sam didn't respond he gently patted his face. "Come on Sam it's time to wake up."

Finally Sam moaned and slowly opened his eyes. At first he thought the creature was still in front o f him and he tried to pull away from it.

"Sam! Sam it's me!"

"Dean?"

"Yeah Sam it's me."

"Oh thank God…thank God…." Sam shut his eyes and took of deep breath. "What took you so long?" Sam gave his brother a small relieved smile.

"Oh I stopped and had a few burgers then had the car tuned up…. What about you…it looks like you've just been hanging around doing nothing." Dean said as he reached up and cut his brother down. He collapsed into his brother's arms. Dean handed the knife to Santos who also cut Carlos down.

Dean glanced over at Ray's disemboweled body and quickly looked away realizing that the same thing could have happened to his brother.

Once Carlos was free he started heading for the entrance of the cave.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" He shouted over to Santos.

"I need help with my brother." Dean said as he struggled to hold Sam up.

"To hell with him!" Carlos continued walking with Santos following a short distance behind. But Santos suddenly stopped and looked back at Dean. He could see Dean was having a hard time holding Sam up. He hesitated a few seconds then walked back to Dean and put one of Sam's arms over his shoulder while Dean did the same. They then started dragging Sam out of the cave.

"What the hell are you doing?" Carlos yelled back to Santos.

"I'm not leaving anyone behind for that thing to kill."

"Who cares if that thing kills them!... They know about our crop!...It they get out of here they'll turn us in!"

"I don't think so." Santos knew that all Dean wanted was to get his brother to safety. "He just wants to get his brother out of here."

"I don't give a damn about his brother or him, and I don't know why the hell you do!"

"My brother Tony died because I couldn't help him." Santos explained, he knew the pain of losing a brother. His own brother had died during a gang fight when he had arrived too late to help him and for some reason seeing Dean try to save his brother brought those memories flooding back to him.

"What the hell does that have to do with us?...These men are going to turn us in….I want them both dead." Carlos walked over to Santos and grabbed the gun from his hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" Santos asked. "That thing's in here… we got to get out of here."

"I say we let them here for that thing to feed on…it'll give _us_ time to get out of here." Carlos pointed the gun at Dean. "Drop the gun."

"It's a flare gun…we need it to kill that thing." Dean kept his grip on the gun there was no way he was giving it up. He knew the creature could be anywhere and if he lost the gun they were all doomed.

"I said drop it or I'll blow a hole in your brother's good knee." He pointed the gun at Sam's leg.

"Damn it Carlos we don't have time for this…Let's just get out of here!" Santos continued helping Dean with Sam.

"They're not coming with us!" Carlos fired toward Dean.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

This is the last chapter. Thanks to all of you who took the time to review. I really, really appreciate it. I hope the ending doesn't suck too badly. Hope everyone has a happy holiday!!!

**Hunted**

Chapter twenty

Dean gave a little gasp of pain and went down to his knees pulling Sam down with him. Santos managed to keep his footing and stood above them glaring at Carlos.

"Dean!" Sam cried out weakly. Even though he was barely conscious he had heard the shot and had heard the painful gasp from his brother.

"It's okay Sam…he didn't get me." Dean lied, he could feel the blood dripping down his side but he didn't want to worry his brother. He reached his hand under his shirt then pulled it away and looked at the blood. The wound was bleeding badly but he could tell the bullet had only grazed him and hadn't entered his body.

"I said drop the gun or I'll blow your brother's brains all over this cave and then yours!" Carlos screamed at Dean.

Dean had no choice but to lower the gun. Santos took a few steps toward his partner.

"What the hell are you doing Carlos? We got to get out of here before…."

But before Santos could finish his sentence the creature suddenly appeared in an opening next to Dean. It reached down and grabbed Dean by his shirt then tossed him across the cave. The Wendigo then threw its head back and roared in rage angered that humans had invaded its sanctuary. It then slowly headed toward Dean.

"No….no….."Sam cried out, he knew when the creature was this angry it would kill anyone in its way. He crawled toward the flare gun but Carlos put his foot on it stopping him. "I need the gun…he's going to kill my brother!" Sam pleaded with him.

Dean watched from across the cave as Carlos kicked Sam in his face then reached down and picked up the gun. Angry that his brother had been further injured Dean tried to stand, but he had hit the cave wall hard and the blow had stunned him. He fell back to the ground and all he could do was sit back and watch as the creature approached.

"Shoot it! Shoot it!" Sam begged as he lay on his stomach and spit out the blood that filled his mouth. Tears filled Sam's eyes; he knew his brother was going to die. "Shoot it! Please it's going to kill my brother!"

Carlos only smiled back at him as he started backing out of the cave.

"Damn it Carlos shoot it!" Santos shouted at his partner. "It's the only thing that will kill that thing!"

But Carlos figured once the creature was done with Dean it would come back and finish his brother off giving him time to escape. If Santos was stupid enough to stay with them then let him. He could always find new partners.

"Go ahead you fool die with them!" Carlos yelled over to Santos as he turned and continued toward the exit.

Santos watched him for a few seconds then ran over to Dean who was still struggling to get up. He reached for the gun that Dean had tucked into his waistband and turned toward Carlos.

"We need that flare gun!" Santos aimed the gun at Carlos.

Carlos ignored him and kept going. Santos fired without any hesitation. The bullet struck Carlos in the back and he went down and didn't move. Santos immediately ran over to him and took the flare gun out of his hand. By now the creature was almost on top of Dean so Santos took aim and fired praying he wouldn't miss. The Wendigo stopped in midstride and screamed in agony as its body slowly burst into flames. The creature took a few more steps then fell dead at Dean's feet.

Dean looked up at Santos in disbelief. He had never expected him to turn on his own partner.

"Thanks." Was all he could say.

Santos nodded then looked back at his dead friend.

"Stupid fool….he didn't have to die."

"No he didn't…but he didn't care about anyone but himself." Dean said as he made his way to Sam. "You okay Sammy?" Dean asked as he sat down next to his brother.

"Yeah….You?"

"Couldn't be better." Dean gave his brother a smile. "Now let's get you out of here."

With Santos's help they made it to the front of the cave. Once there Dean checked out Sam's wounds and patched him up the best he could, he then began to assemble the poles and blanket, making a stretcher to carry him out on. He then led his brother over to it.

"Dean I can walk." Sam protested. He didn't want his brother to wear himself out dragging him out of the woods.

"Sam, believe me it's easier this way. Otherwise I'll have to be stopping every few minutes to check on you. You might be bleeding internally plus your knee is all swollen. It'll take us twice as long to get out of here if you try to walk out."

"What about you? You took a nasty hit yourself." Sam said looking at Dean's blood soaked side. "Let me patch you up first."

"It's only a flesh wound Sam; I can patch it up later." Dean reassured his brother. "Now let's get you on that stretcher and out of here."

Dean helped Sam lie down then covered him with a blanket. He then walked over to Santos and held out his hand.

"My brother would have died without you….maybe both of us would have."

Santos took Dean's hand.

"I know what it's like to lose a brother. My brother died because someone wanted his necklace and I wasn't there to protect him. A life is worth a lot more then a piece of jewelry."

"So what are you going to do?"

Santos gave Dean a small smile.

"I'll do what I have to do to feed my family."

Even though Dean didn't agree with the way Santos made his money, he understood where he was coming from.

"Thanks again." Dean said as he turned back to Sam and picked up the poles, then holding one on each side he slowly made his way out of the woods pulling Sam behind him.

**Five days later**

Once out of the woods Dean took Sam to the hospital where it was determined he was bleeding internally from a badly bruised liver. They kept him for a few days in order to control the bleeding then released him with orders to rest and take his medication. They also put a walking cast on his leg after it was determined that it wasn't broken but just badly bruised. He was told to stay off of it as much as possible for at least two weeks.

Dean walked next to Sam glad to finally be out of the hospital instead of sitting by his brother's bedside worrying about him. He spread his arms out and took a deep breath.

"Smell that air…. Damn it's good to be outside." He looked at Sam and smiled. "Even the pink has returned to your cheeks Samantha." He reached over and pinched Sam on the cheek.

"Get out of here." Sam gave a little smile as he pushed Dean's hand away. He then turned serious. "You know Dean we were lucky this time. If Santos hadn't flipped to our side we'd both be dead."

"But we're not and that's all that matters."

"No Dean, that's not all that matters." Sam looked at his brother. "Dean…I managed to get out of this life for awhile when I went to college…you never did, and I think its time you did… Maybe you could take some time off and …and just enjoy yourself."

"I do enjoy myself Sam. I enjoy hunting. Taking those bad asses off the street…now that's enjoyable." He looked at Sam and smiled.

"You know what I mean….We've been hunting all our lives and if we keep it up we're going to die hunting. We deserve better then that…._you_ deserve better then that."

"Where did this all come from?"

"I had a lot of time to think while I was laid up."

"Don't tell me you're going soft on me Sam."

"No…it's just that…."

"It's what Sam?"

"It's just that…" He hesitated for a few seconds then blurted it out. "I don't want to watch you die."

"I'm not dying Sam…well at least not today."

"You know what I mean."

"Sam everybody's going to die, you, me…everybody. But we're alive now and I just want to live in the moment….And I want to take down as many of those bastards as I can while I can." Dean opened the car door for his brother and helped him in then jumped in the driver's seat and looked over at him. "What do you say we go get some burgers…I'm starving."

Sam shook his head.

"You're impossible."

"Yeah…maybe I am." Dean looked over at Sam and winked. "But I'm handsome." He smiled at Sam as he shifted the car into drive and floored the accelerator. He knew sometime they'd have to have a serious talk about his deal with the demon, but not today, today he was just going to enjoy the fact that they were both alive.

The End


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